Shah asks govt not to send Sartaj to Delhi

ISLAMABAD - Opposition Leader in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah on Thursday accused the PML-N government of being lenient towards India in the face of its aggression across the Line of Control (LoC).

The opposition leader, on a point of order suggested the government to avoid participating in the Heart of Asia Conference.

“I suggest to the PML-N government that Pakistan should stay away from the Heart of Asia Conference in India, as it will be considered a weakness,” said the opposition leader.

Adviser to PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz had recently said that he would go to Indian to attend Heart of Asia conference next month.

Shah was of the view that the PML-N government has good relations with India and that was why it was not giving a befitting response. He said that that was the reason that was providing ground for India to violate the ceasefire along the LoC. “Mere condemnation will not serve the real purpose,” he said, adding the government was keeping a criminal silence on the India violations.

“Our army is strong enough to give a befitting response to India’s aggression but our rulers should also stand behind it. We are a nuclear power,” he said.

Shah also made it clear that he was not casting doubt on the fidelity of the government but the government’s action should also speak.

The opposition leader termed the Indian unprovoked firing and shelling on the LoC and the Working Boundary a tactic to pressurise Pakistan. “Pakistan wants to promote peace in the region but it seems the Indian leadership wants to destroy peace in the region,” he said.

He also came down hard on the prime minister for his non-show up in the parliament. “I attended 96 percent sessions while prime minister remained in the house to attend only 11 percent sessions,” he said while criticising the government over empty treasury benches.

Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi said that a message of unity should go from parliament.

Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch said that Shah‘s remarks of PML-N government’s good relations with Indian will only encourage India.

Baloch said India would receive tit-for-tat response against its aggression.“Pakistan armed forces are not weak in any manner as compared to India,” he said adding that the armed forces deployed on the LoC were vigilant against any aggression. “It is our compulsion that we cannot target civilians on the other side of the LoC who also include Muslims,” he said inviting criticism from a minority lawmaker. Baloch hastened to clarify that it was not his intention to hurt any Hindu lawmaker.

Another treasury memebr and Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee Awais Ahmad Leghari said that the issue of ceasefire violations and killing of civilians by the Indian forces should be raised at the Human Rights Council of the UN Security Council.

He also supported the suggestion to skip the Heart of Asia Conference.

Leghari also asked the chair to summon the PM’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs to brief the house on the LoC situation and Pakistan’s efforts to highlight the issue at the international level. Later, the house adopted a motion to debate the unprovoked Indian violations in the house tomorrow suspending the rest of agenda.